Stirling meets von Neumann

As physics processor units (PPU) come of age, new possibilities and old trends reemerge. The single goal of the computer industry have so far been in making the most powerful central processing unit (CPU). A need to have a sensibly fast graphics processing unit (GPU) has become more pronounced. The need of the gamers, as one call those stretching the power of accessible computing power, is always a bit beyond the limit.

As Microsoft and Apple fought it out to hold a monopoly on rules of engagement, hackers, nerds of all ages, dolts and your every-day joe hunted for cool games. Before the rigid frame of Windows, you could well do just everything with a PC. It is no effort to put in a disk, hit power, and just play a game. The greatest reward in a game is in the confirmation of the self, doing away with doubt. I am good at this, I did manage to overcome that challenge and so forth. Incidentally, that is just what science is about as well - to test hypotheses and theories to model an objective reality. Never mind the discussion on objectivity.

The movie industry and science has gone a long way to serve believable renditions of reality. Now, both the scientists at CERN and the average gamer wants more, much more. The home computer has become prolific, mandatory and relatively cheap. Everything delivered in one package. Not good enough, as the ever increasing computational power also means an accelerating cycle of development possibilities. You buy a graphic card today and in one year it is the stoneage compared to the edge of development.

Now comes the AGEIA PhysX, the first PPU on the consumer market. About effin time. At last a new avenue of development. The separation of the PPU is like a news strip cartoon gets its own magazine. It is the first meeting of theoretical physics and modelling, if but a scant one. Marketed right, becoming "necessary" enough, a lot of research is going to go into getting faster and more powerful PPUs. Reality will be more recognizable on a screen near you.

What I want is something I can have for a long time and which I in a real way can upgrade and expand. I want to be able to feed my computer with more raw power. I want it to become sentient. I want it to become just as full of personality as a beautiful car. It is a thing, not a being, but it can still be intelligent, in a way. It will know how to handle my demands, to organise and present a coherent reality.